Natale (Christmas) in Italy
The Christmas season officially starts in Italy on December 8th, the Day of Immaculate Conception. On this day many Italian families decorate their home and trees, wrap their presents, and schools and offices are closed.
The festive season then runs until Epiphany on January 6 when the Three Wise Men arrived in Bethlehem with their gifts for the Baby Jesus.
As the days and weeks pass, the holiday atmosphere grows in every town with Christmas markets, nativity scenes of the birth of Jesus (often with real people and animals) and musical performances.
The city of Gubbio in Umbria boasts the biggest Christmas tree in the world. Since 1981, the tree of coloured lights is installed each year on the slopes of Mount Ingino overlooking the town. Over 460 lights make up the tree which rises over 750 metres from the walls of the town up to the Basilica of Sant’Ubaldo, the patron saint of Gubbio.
In our beloved Assisi, the city is filled with lights, Christmas markets, concerts and special events for a month. This year, St Francis' 'Canticles of the Creatures' will come to life on the facades of churches in the town, including the beautiful Basilica San Francesco.
Natale in Italy is also about gathering around the table and food - of course!
Each of Italy’s 20 regions has its own Christmas tradition. For example, the local bakeries of the Perugia (central Italy) area sell the torciglione cake. The torciglione has the form of a snake and is made with lots of almonds, an egg yolk and sugar. The round shape symbolises the end of the old year and the beginning of a new year.
In keeping with meals served the night before most religious festivals in Italy, dinner on Christmas eve or la Viglia is meat free, so seafood is usually on the menu, such as sword fish, tuna, salmon, octopus salad, calamari or spaghetti with clam sauce.
Christmas Day is usually celebrated with a lunchtime feast that may have several courses and last for hours.
Families in northern Italy may make cappelletti (pasta filled with meat) to eat on Christmas Day. Preparations begin days ahead, paying careful attention to the filling of the finest ingredients (hearth-roasted/grilled pork, veal and chicken ground with prosciutto, parmesan, celery and nutmeg) and to the thin layers of homemade pasta. The pasta is served in a rich broth made from capon, veal, herbs and vegetables, brought to a slow boil and strained.
In southern and central Italy, baked pasta such as lasagne is more likely to be served.
The pasta course would be followed by the main event: roast meat - veal, pork, chicken, or lamb - served with lashings of vegetables.
The more traditional families make their own dessert like a chestnut mousse, and after the meal, Panettone (a light sweet bread usually full of dried fruit) and Torrone (nougat with nuts) may be served along with a glass of sparkling Spumante. A basket of fresh winter fruit follows before a strong espresso truly ends the meal.
On January 6 - marking the end of the holiday season - Italian children in many areas eagerly await a visit from La Befana. This translates literally as ‘the good witch’, and legend says that her housework stopped her from venturing out with the three kings on the night they went off in search of baby Jesus. She went off herself later on, with a bag full of gifts for the newborn king. She leaves sweets for good children and coal for naughty children. La Befana also sweeps the floor, sweeping away the problems of the previous year and leaving the family with a fresh slate to go into the year ahead.
But to really guarantee that the coming year is a success, make sure to get yourself a pair of red underwear. It’s a common tradition for Italians to wear red underwear on New Year’s Eve to bring them good luck. Make sure to buy yours in advance, though, as they sell out quickly during the holiday season!
